1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable radio telephone, and in particular, to a dual-wing folder radio telephone, which is capable of preventing the radio telephone from harming the human body and letting a user more conveniently use the radio telephone by dividing the housing of the radio telephone into three parts.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable telephone is either a bar-type portable telephone type, a flip-type portable telephone type, or a folder-type portable telephone type. Portable telephones are also available as a neck wearable type or a wrist type, according to wearing positions. The portable telephones facilitate audio communication, video communication, and Internet communication, as well as a combination of these functions. Currently, the bar-type portable telephone, the flip-type portable telephone, and the folder-type portable telephone are commonly used, and it is predicted that portable telephones will adopt more various wearing methods, for the convenience of wearing and portability.
A conventional portable telephone will now be described taking the folder-type telephone as an example. The conventional folder-type telephone includes a lower housing 10 that functions as a main body and an upper housing 12 that functions as a folder. The upper housing 12 is connected to the lower housing 10 by a hinge means 14 so as to fold the upper housing 12 toward and against the lower housing 10 and to unfold the upper housing 12 away from the lower housing 10 upward to a predetermined angle.
A liquid crystal display (LCD) 16 and a speaker 18 are installed in an inner surface 12a of the upper housing 12. A keypad 20 including a plurality of keys is installed in an inner surface 10a of the lower housing 10. A microphone 22 is built in the inside where a bole is formed beneath where the keypad 20 is installed. Dampers 24 are installed on both sides of the place where the microphone 22 of the lower housing 10 is installed so as to absorb the shock generated by the collision between the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 10 when the upper housing is folded against the lower housing 10.
The telephone is used by unfolding the upper housing 12 away from the lower housing 10 when a user tries to answer a telephone call (i.e. an audio call) or to make a telephone call.
The keypad 20, in which the plurality of keys are arranged, is used as a typical data input means of the portable telephone, while the LCD 16 is used as a data output means. More recently, a touch screen or a touch pad is also used as a data input means.
The trend, however, is to make radio telephones lighter and smaller. When the main body of the telephone is miniaturized, the LCD and the keypad must also be miniaturized. When the LCD is miniaturized, it is not easy for the user to check (read) displayed data. When the keypad is miniaturized, it is not easy to input data. The miniaturization of the radio telephone is restricted due to the above-mentioned problems. That is, it is difficult to make the LCD and the keypad large while miniaturizing the portable telephone.
Also, additional and more varied functions are required to be performed as radio telephones perform the Internet function. In order to perform such varied functions, more keys and a wider LCD are required. Such use of radio telephones requires more keys and a wider LCD, as necessary for transmission of e-mails, chatting, and additional services such as those that are performed when the radio telephone audio functions as a personal digital assistant (PDA).
In the folder-type telephone, because the LCD and the keypad contact the face of a user during a telephone call, cosmetics of women and sweat and body wastes may attach to the LCD and the keypad. In addition to being unpleasant to the user, the accumulated waste may be harmful, especially to allergic users. Therefore, the unpleasantness increases with use, requiring the user to clean the LCD and the keypad after a few telephone calls. Such polluting of the LCD obstructs the view of the user in the LCD, which is particularly troublesome when performing a web search or accessing an interactive service.